topic:"Biography" found 4 records - Research Collections - Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Abstract: As Fall of Heaven begins, we join professional mountain guide Jean-Antoine Carrel as he tries and fails, again and again, to summit the Matterhorn—one of the most famous and iconic peaks in the Alps. Is it the “Devil’s mountain,” as the locals call it? Should he heed the village priest who warned that its summit was not meant to be climbed? Carrel is undeterred, he just needs capable climbers to join him. Enter Edward Whymper, who in 1861 at the age of 21 decided—unbeknownst to Carrel—that he would be the first to climb the Matterhorn. So the storyline is set, except that where Carrel is captivating, Whymper is utterly unsympathetic as an adventurer. He is mean and disdainful of guides, describing them as little more than porters who eat and drink too much. Despite this attitude, Whymper’s quest leads him inexorably into partnership with Carrel. The story follows their many attempts to find a route to the top of the Matterhorn, but then fate pulls them apart just as Whymper finds the line. His successful summit on July 14, 1865, in which Carrel did not take part, shocked the Victorian world with both awe and revulsion as four members of Whymper’s party died in frightening falls. Famed climber and author Reinhold Messner acknowledges that Whymper was the first man to summit the Matterhorn, the last of the great Alpine peaks to be climbed and representing the beginning of an age of alpinism based on difficulty rather than conquest. But rather than leaving a hero’s legacy, Whymper is revealed as the Captain Ahab of alpinism, a team leader who accepted no responsibility for the deaths of his teammates. Fall of Heaven is an exciting tale and an examination of the different types of men who were caught up in the adventuring spirit of the Victorian age, and the ironic fates that can follow success or failure. (from Mountaineers Books website)

Notes: Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival 2019

ISBN: 9781680510850

Accession Number: AC638

Call Number: G512 F35 M47

Collection: Alpine Club of Canada Library

URL Notes: Summary on Mountaineers Books website

Websites

https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/fall-of-heaven-whympers-tragic-matterhorn-climb

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Ueli Steck : my life in climbing

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/catalogue25051

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Published Date: 2018

Author: Steck, Ueli (author); Steinback, Karin (co-author); Bierling, Billi (translator)

Publisher: Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books

Call Number: G512 U45 S74

1 website

Author: Steck, Ueli (author); Steinback, Karin (co-author); Bierling, Billi (translator)

Publisher: Seattle, Washington : Mountaineers Books

Published Date: 2018

Physical Description: 214 pages : illustrations

Medium: Library - Book (including soft-cover and pamphlets)

Subjects: Mountaineering; Biography; Switzerland; Nepal

Abstract: A climber of incredible strength, Ueli Steck set climbing records for speed and endurance that no one had previously thought possible. This deeply personal and revealing memoir, Ueli Steck: My Life in Climbing, is the only one of his books to be published in English. In 2016, Ueli established a new speed record on Eiger’s North Face—beating his own record! That same year he climbed all 82 four-thousand-meter peaks in the Alps within 62 days (traveling between the peaks by bicycle), and summited Annapurna’s south face in 28 hours. But the dramatic events of the previous two years—the internationally reported conflict with Sherpas at Mount Everest, and the discovery of Alex Lowe’s body on Shishapangma—changed him and made him rethink his approach to the mountains. After withdrawing from the sport for a period, Ueli rediscovered his love of climbing, and in this memoir he explains how his perspective changed. While his drive to achieve in the mountains hadn’t diminished, an evaluation of his experiences helped him find a new way to process the emotional and mental challenges that shaped his athletic outlook. Structured around key climbs, Ueli Steck: My Life in Climbing provides the history of each mountain and route, Ueli’s reasons for attempting it, what happened on each climb itself, and what he learned from the experience. It also includes some fascinating insights into his training regimen. Ueli infuses his story with the joy and freedom of climbing and running. He is honest, direct and, at times, exhibits the self-absorption common to many elite athletes. Ultimately, however, his experiences brought him to a place of self-awareness and he was no longer the same climber who first set the speed record on the Eiger’s North Face. Ueli was determined that he would take only acceptable risks. Unfortunately, Ueli’s bar for risk was still very high—he died while on a training climb on the Himalayan peak Nuptse on April 30, 2017. (from Mountaineers Books website)

Contents: Everest : when the world suddenly changes -- Annapurna I : first the glory, then the fall from grace -- Shishapangma : a step too far -- All 4000-meter peaks in the Alps : rediscovering the joy of climbing -- Eiger : the fascination of speed -- Afterword by Steve House -- Translator's note.

ISBN: 9781680511321

Accession Number: AC639

Call Number: G512 U45 S74

Collection: Alpine Club of Canada Library

URL Notes: Summary on Mountaineers Books website

Websites

https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/ueli-steck-my-life-in-climbing

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A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin - textual

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions55056

Part Of: Chic Scott fonds

Scope & Content: Series consists of textual records pertaining to the creation of A Life in the Wild.

Date Range: 2002 - 2019

Reference Code: M57 / XV

Description Level: 3 / Series

GMD: Textual record

Part Of: Chic Scott fonds

Description Level: 3 / Series

Fonds Number: M57 / V40 / S47

Series: M57 / XV : A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin

Sous-Fonds: M57

Sub-Series: M57 / XV / A : Draft manuscript; M57 / XV / B : Research notes; M57 / XV / C : Publications

Reference Code: M57 / XV

GMD: Textual record

Date Range: 2002 - 2019

Physical Description: 12.5 cm of textual records

History / Biographical: A Life in the Wild is a biography of John Baldwin written by Chic Scott. The booklet is the Twenty-fifth in the Alpine Club of Canada's Summit Series which recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of exceptional individuals who have, through their achievements as explorers, mountaineers, volunteers, outfitters and storytellers, helped define and shape Canada's unique mountain community. "Since his teenage years John Baldwin has explored the rugged Coast Mountain Range, climbing 700 peaks, many of them first ascents, and making perhaps one-hundred multi-week, long-distance forays across the icefields and along the ridges of what is one of the last true wilderness areas on earth. Shunning the easy path and forging his own way through some of the roughest geography on the planet. He is a mountaineer and explorer of the first order." - Chic Scott

Scope & Content: Series consists of textual records pertaining to the creation of A Life in the Wild.

Notes: Series consists of three sub-series: M57 / XV / A : Draft manuscript M57 / XV / B : Research notes M57 / XV / C : Publications

Name Access: Scott, Chic; Baldwin, John; Alpine Club of Canada

Subject Access: Alpine Club of Canada; Biography; Climbing; Environment; Exploration; Hiking; Mountaineering; Mountaineers; Personal and Professional Life; Publication; Recreation; Research; Sports; Summit

Geographic Access: Canada; Alberta; Banff National Park; Jasper National Park; Columbia Icefield

Language: English

Category: Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; Sports, recreation and leisure

Biographical Source Notes: http://johnbaldwin.ca/a-life-in-the-wild.asp

Title Source: Title based on contents of file

Processing Status: Processed

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A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin - sound recordings

https://archives.whyte.org/en/permalink/descriptions55057

Part Of: Chic Scott fonds

Scope & Content: Series consists of five sound recordings pertaining to A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin. Includes interviews of John Baldwin, Helen Soudat, Ed Amann and "Steve".

Date Range: 2002 - 2019

Reference Code: S47 / XV

Description Level: 3 / Series

GMD: Sound recording; Cassette

Part Of: Chic Scott fonds

Description Level: 3 / Series

Fonds Number: M57 / V40 / S47

Series: S47 / XV : A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin

Sous-Fonds: S47

Reference Code: S47 / XV

GMD: Sound recording; Cassette

Date Range: 2002 - 2019

Physical Description: 5 sound recordings

History / Biographical: A Life in the Wild is a biography of John Baldwin written by Chic Scott. The booklet is the Twenty-fifth in the Alpine Club of Canada's Summit Series which recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of exceptional individuals who have, through their achievements as explorers, mountaineers, volunteers, outfitters and storytellers, helped define and shape Canada's unique mountain community. "Since his teenage years John Baldwin has explored the rugged Coast Mountain Range, climbing 700 peaks, many of them first ascents, and making perhaps one-hundred multi-week, long-distance forays across the icefields and along the ridges of what is one of the last true wilderness areas on earth. Shunning the easy path and forging his own way through some of the roughest geography on the planet. He is a mountaineer and explorer of the first order." - Chic Scott

Scope & Content: Series consists of five sound recordings pertaining to A Life in the Wild: The Story of Mountain Explorer John Baldwin. Includes interviews of John Baldwin, Helen Soudat, Ed Amann and "Steve".

Name Access: Scott, Chic; Baldwin, John; Alpine Club of Canada; Soudat, Helen; Amann, Eddie

Subject Access: Alpine Club of Canada; Biography; Climbing; Environment; Exploration; Hiking; Mountaineering; Mountaineers; Personal and Professional Life; Recreation; Research; Sports; Summit

Geographic Access: Canada; Alberta; Banff National Park; Jasper National Park; Canadian Rocky Mountains

Language: English

Category: Exploration, discovery and travel; Family and personal life; Sports, recreation and leisure

Biographical Source Notes: http://johnbaldwin.ca/a-life-in-the-wild.asp

Title Source: Title based on contents of file

Processing Status: Processed

This material is presented as originally created; it may contain outdated cultural descriptions and potentially offensive content. Read more.